The Paradoxical Dance of Self-Assertion and Self-Abasement
Based on the selected excerpts, an exaggerated drive for self-assertion is often a manifestation of a hidden sense of inferiority that a person tries to compensate for by creating an illusory feeling of self-importance. At the same time, when attempts at self-assertion become excessive and even obsessive, they can turn into the opposite phenomenon – self-abasement. This paradoxical mechanism works as follows: a person, experiencing inner insecurity and a sense of inadequacy, may deliberately put themselves down, thereby avoiding the real risk of external humiliation. Self-abasement, in turn, acts as a protective shield – a conscious exaggeration of self-deprecation provides a “proof by contradiction” of one’s significance, as the individual feels inside that even intentionally diminishing one’s own role is a sign of strength because it prevents external attacks.This dual dynamic is clearly evident in Adler’s research. According to the author, the drive for superiority and, at the same time, a tendency towards self-abasement are interrelated through an inner inferiority complex. “It should be emphasized, however, that this drive often manifests itself in a form opposite to its fundamental nature, turning into its antithesis – namely, the phenomenon of self-abasement, which can be ‘more than pride’. For by demeaning himself in this way, the person saves himself from being demeaned by others, often anticipating retaliatory protest reactions. Moreover, the consciousness of the boundlessness of one’s self-abasement gives the individual a semi-conscious ‘proof by contradiction’ of his significance, achieved through the hypertrophy of self-abasement. After Adler’s research, there is no further need to prove the kinship between pride and self-abasement.” (source: link txt)Furthermore, the concept of compensating for inferiority, which is discussed in other excerpts, indicates that the drive for self-assertion often stems from a sense of one’s ineptitude. People strive to prove their importance both to themselves and to others – yet deep down they understand their vulnerability, which creates the need for protection at the cost of exaggerated self-abasement. In this way, an excess of the drive for self-assertion leads not only to an illusory feeling of superiority but also to paradoxical self-abasement, which serves as a psychological defense against potential critical evaluations or external humiliation.Supporting citation(s):"Let us emphasize, however, that this drive often manifests itself in a form opposite to its fundamental nature, turning into its antithesis – namely, the phenomenon of self-abasement, which can be ‘more than pride’. For by demeaning himself in this way, the person saves himself from being demeaned by others, often anticipating retaliatory protest reactions. Moreover, the consciousness of the boundlessness of one’s self-abasement gives the individual a semi-conscious ‘proof by contradiction’ of his significance, achieved through the hypertrophy of self-abasement. After Adler’s research, there is no further need to prove the kinship between pride and self-abasement." (source: link txt)"This will to illusion finds its explanation in the egocentrism of the lower impulses of the soul. Every person is inclined to create such a world of illusions where, in his own eyes or in the eyes of others, he would assert his imagined supremacy. ... the drive for superiority, like the drive for pleasure, does not stem from a value-neutral state but from that feeling of one’s own inadequacy..." (source: link txt)Thus, an exaggerated drive for self-assertion shifts into a mechanism of self-abasement as a means of protection against the constant feeling of inferiority, which fully corresponds to the principles identified in Adler’s research.